The Heart of the Matter
by teanc09
Summary: Will's father returns. A collaborative story by iworkwithpens and myself. This came about as a result of an improvisational writing exercise.
1. Chapter 1

_The Heart of the Matter_

_I've been trying to get down, to the heart of the matter  
But my will gets weak  
And my thoughts seem to scatter  
But I think it's about forgiveness_

Mackenzie stood outside Will's office and watched him work. She dreaded having to go in there and do this to him. After all this time, why now she wondered?

She pushed open his door and saw him standing behind his desk, searching for something on his bookshelf. "Sit down," she said and he immediately complied. "There is a man downstairs at security that is claiming to be your father."

He honestly didn't know what to say. She couldn't have shocked him more if she had told him they were doing a story on Bigfoot that night. He sat there for a moment stunned into immobility.

"Will?" she asked and came around the desk to stand beside his chair.

"He could be anybody Mackenzie. I haven't seen my father in nearly forty years. Hell, I'd assumed the man was dead. I'm not going to dignify what in all probability is some stranger's attempt to extort money from me by going down there and making an appearance in AWM's lobby."

She looked at him and knew how much this had shaken him, but she was allowing him to pretend he didn't care. Allowing him a moment to rant and rave and then he would tell her what he really wanted. She only had to wait a few moments.

"Would you go down and take a look?" he asked quietly, grabbing her hand but steadfastly refusing to look her in the eye.

"Of course Will. But I never met the man. I don't know if I'll be able to tell you anything."

"I'm told I look a lot like him. You should be able to figure it out pretty quickly Mac," he responded, still holding her hand as if that was the only thing keeping him from panicking.

"Okay, Billy. What do you want me to say to him?" she asked tentatively.

"I don't know Mac. You'll figure it out…you always do," he mumbled.

"Billy?"

"What Mackenzie?"

"You have to let go of my hand if you want me to go downstairs."

"Oh yeah, right," he said, looking down at their joined hands. "Thanks Mac," he said quietly, before loosening his grip on her and watching her go.

Mac made her way to the elevator and the entire ride down to the lobby she was trying to figure out what she was going to say, coming up with nothing. She walked to the security desk and saw Scotty, the building's favorite security guard and a friend.

"Scotty, there is a man here for Will," she said.

"I put him in the waiting area behind the elevators. I hope that was all right."

She smiled at him. "That's perfect, thank you. Did you get a picture for his pass?"

"I did, want me to send it to you?"

"Please."

Mac walked to the waiting area, which thankfully was empty except for the man asking about Will. She knocked on the door and pushed it open. The gentleman turned and she saw what Will would look like in the future. He was a very handsome man, still almost as tall as Will but with gray hair where Will's was still blond.

"Hello," he said.

"Hello. My name is Mackenzie McHale. I am the executive producer of News Night."

"John McAvoy," he said, holding out his hand.

She politely shook his hand, damning all those finishing school lessons. She knew what he had done to Will and all of his siblings as a child, yet she didn't know what he wanted and why now he was showing up at AWM.

"Will is not available this afternoon, I'm sorry. Is there something I can help you with?"

The man was clearly disappointed. "No, thank you, though. I need to speak with him. If I give you a number where I may be reached will you give it to him?"

"Of course."

"My son and I haven't seen one another in many years, and I'm not sure if he will even want to speak with me, but tell him it is very important that I speak with him. Will you do that, please?"

"Certainly," she said, taking the business card he handed her.

"Thank you," he said and walked out of the area in which he had been asked to wait.

Mac went back upstairs and straight into Will's office. He was leaning against the front of his desk, waiting for her.

"Well," he said as soon as she walked in.

She checked her Blackberry and showed him the picture that Scotty took. "It's not a great picture, but it's what we've got."

She saw Will react like she never had seen before. His hand was shaking and he looked as if he was about to pass out. She pushed him into one of the chairs around his table and had him put his head between his knees. "Just breathe," she said, squatting next to him, rubbing his back.

"I had really hoped this was some damn tabloid reporter's attempt to find out more about my childhood. Damn, I never thought it could actually be him."

"He gave me a business card. He said it was quite important that he speak with you," she told him.

He looked up at that. "Business card, my ass. The man barely had a steady job most of my childhood. He couldn't spend eight hours away from the liquor cabinet."

They both looked down at the card, curious as to what type of employment an abusive alcoholic could possibly be holding.

"Oh, that's hysterical. Was he laughing when he handed you this Mackenzie?"

She hadn't looked at the card in the elevator on her way back upstairs. She was too busy staring at the photo of Will's father on her Blackberry. Now, she took the card from his hand and glanced down at it. It read "John McAvoy, Interventionist." Shit, Will was going to kill the man if he saw him.

"That is really laughable. I spent most of my childhood trying to get the man to just cut down on his drinking. You know what he would do when I asked Mac? He would drink more. Just to discourage me from asking again, the man would drink himself into a stupor if I so much as suggested he had a drinking problem. And now he tries to get people into rehab for a living!"

He was pacing the room like a caged animal. She saw Jim standing outside the door, likely concerned about the yelling going on inside the office, but she just shook her head no. Please Jim, don't try to get involved in this, she pleaded with her eyes. Thankfully, he seemed to understand and walked away.

Mackenzie knew that Jim had sometimes worried about just how angry Will had been with her. In the beginning, she could tell Jim's natural instinct was to stand between her and Will when the arguing began. She had reassured him several times that Will's bluster was all for show. He would never hurt her. She wasn't so sure he wouldn't hurt his father.

"I don't give a shit what he wants Mackenzie! You tell him that if he shows up again. Tell him to go fuck up somebody else's life because I'm done letting him fuck up mine!"

She watched as Will stalked off toward his bathroom and slammed the door.

"That went well," she whispered to the now empty room.

Mac called up to Charlie's office to see if he had a free few minutes. Millie told Mac to come upstairs and she'd work her in, no problem.

"What can I do for you Mac?" Charlie asked.

She wasn't sure how much Charlie knew about Will's childhood. It wasn't her place to tell him, so she would give him the bigger picture. "Will's father showed up downstairs earlier."

"His father?"

She guessed from his expression and tone of voice that Charlie knew some of Will's history. "Yes. I went down and saw him. It's him, there's no mistaking that the man downstairs was Will's father. Will wants nothing to do with him and his father insisted that it was very important for him to see Will. I don't know what he will try."

Charlie picked up his phone and called Lonny, asking him to come to his office immediately.

Mac and Charlie were chatting when Lonny knocked.

"Come in," he said. Lonny nodded to Mac. "We're going to have an issue with Will. I want you to keep a watch for this man," Charlie said handing Lonny Mac's phone.

"Is this from downstairs?"

"It is," she said. "Scotty got his picture for a pass but didn't let him up."

"Is he a threat to Will?" Lonny asked.

"Yes," she said. "Will wants nothing to do with him and John McAvoy desperately wants to see Will. I don't know why, but I do know Will needs to be protected from this man."

"Do you think he's violent? Do we know anything?" Lonny asked.

"Here's a copy of the card he gave me," Mac said. "Are you able to run a background check?"

"I'll do some checking."

"Do we need to up Will's protection?" she asked Charlie.

"Not yet. Let's see what we get from the background check. Will you let me know what you find?" he asked Lonny.

"Of course. I'll find out what's going on," Lonny said leaving Charlie's office.

"He's going to need you, Mac."

"Anything he needs, I'm there."

"Make sure he knows that, Mackenzie."

Mac made her way back downstairs and pushed Will's door open. He was sitting at his desk working on his computer. She sat in a chair in front of his desk. "How are you?"

He stopped typing and turned in his chair to face her. "Honestly, Mac, I don't know."

"Do you want to talk about it?" she asked.

"Not particularly," he said, turning back to the computer.

"Will, I don't think he's going to just disappear. He's shown up after forty years of virtually no contact with you. Whatever it is, it must be important."

"Yeah, well not beating the shit out of me and my siblings and my mother was fairly important to me too. He didn't seem to give a damn about that!" he spit out.

Sometimes she forgot just how much pain was bubbling beneath the surface of his calm exterior.

"I'll have Lonny take care of it if he shows up again Will," she told him, patting his hand and leaving him to finish his script.

"Mac" he shouted to her before she left the room.

"Yes?"

"Thanks for talking to him," he said.

"Of course, Will."

And that had been it for a few days. Life returned to normal until Friday evening after the show. He and Mackenzie had been the last to leave the studio. Lonny offered to drop Mackenzie off on their way to Will's apartment, but they were all stopped in their tracks by the presence the elder McAvoy just outside the building, waiting near a group of autograph seekers.

"Will," Mackenzie whispered, grabbing his hand and directing his attention toward the man.

He turned to see the last person in the world he expected.

"Get in the car Mackenzie," he spit out through clenched teeth.

"Will, please," she pleaded, trying to pull him away, but he was already heading for his father, fists clenched tightly at his sides.

"Lonny!" she shouted, alerting the bodyguard to the unfolding situation, but everything was happening so fast that it would be hard to stop it.

"Stay the hell away from us!" Will yelled, grabbing Mackenzie's hand and pushing her behind him. He stared into his father's eyes with hatred.

"Billy," the man started, but was cut off.

"Don't you dare call me that!" Will whispered menacingly. God, she had never realized his father called him that. She had to wonder now why Will ever let her use the nickname.

Will's grip on her wrist was beginning to become painfully tight. She watched the two men stare each other down until she couldn't take it anymore.

"Will, you're hurting my wrist," she said, tapping him lightly on the back.

That broke him from his staring contest with his father.

"God, I'm sorry Kenz. I didn't realize," he whispered, loosening his grip on her, but still not letting her anywhere near his father.

"Listen to me and know that I'm serious. You come near me or anyone I care about and I will make it my life's mission to ruin whatever pitiful existence you have built for yourself. "

He grabbed her hand and pulled her toward the car. Once seated inside, she looked out the window at the man they had just left behind. Looking at him, you would never know the hell he had put his own family through. She wondered what Will saw when he looked at the man.

"Will" she whispered, setting her hand on his shoulder. What she wasn't expecting was for him to grab her and pull her into his side. He pulled her head down on his shoulder and rested his head against hers.

"We're going home now Lonny," he informed the bodyguard. Lonny just nodded.

"Is that okay Kenz?" he asked quietly.

"That's fine Will," she replied setting her hand on his knee. "Let's go home."

Lonny drove them home and walked them all the way into the apartment; he wasn't taking any chances with the reappearance of the senior McAvoy.

Once he had them settled and secure he came back downstairs to talk to the building's security and explained that there was a person trying to get to Will. He shared John's picture and asked them to call him if he was spotted near the building, along with the police.

Will was pacing around his apartment and Mac was sitting on the couch watching him.

"Do you want a drink?" she asked him.

"Are you all right, Kenz?"

"I'm fine, Will." He stopped pacing and looked at her.

"I don't care if you call me Billy," he said as if he could read her mind. "You heard him call me that, right?"

She nodded. He came and sat on the table in front of where she was sitting on the couch. "The difference is that you call me that out of love."

"You could have told me," she said taking his hand in hers.

"Honestly Kenz,, I like it coming from you."

"As long as you are sure. I don't want to bring up bad memories."

"I'm sure, sweetheart. Don't change because of him. He's not worth our time." He moved from the table to sitting next to her, taking her hand in his. "Is your wrist okay?"

"It's fine, don't worry."

"He's seen you with me now and you met with him the other day, I'm going to get a body on you, just in case. We don't take any chances, okay?"

She nodded. The simple fact that she didn't protest a bodyguard told him how much his father had scared her. "I'm going to call Charlie and let him know what's happened. Do you want something to change into?"

"Please."

He pulled her off the couch and said, "come with me." He sat her on his bed and went to his dresser. In the bottom drawer she saw clothes of hers from years ago. He had never gotten rid of them.

"Why do you still have all of those?" she asked.

"The same reason you still have a drawer full of my stuff, Mac," he said and handed her some running pants and a long sleeved t-shirt. "The only socks I have are mine and you're welcome to wear them, they are just going to be way too big. I do, however, have a sweatshirt that used to fit me, but it's shrunk, so it will fit you now," he said smiling at her. He pulled out a sweatshirt that said Nebraska Law on the front and McAvoy on the back.

She smiled at him and said, "thank you, Billy."

He kissed the top of her head and said, "go change and I'll call Charlie, then I'll cook us some dinner." She nodded and went into his bathroom and he went back to the living room.

"Lonny already called," Charlie said when Will called him.

"There were other people around with cameras. I don't know if someone has it on tape or not."

"I'll talk to legal about a restraining order." They chatted for a few minutes with Charlie trying to make Will feel better.

"Thanks, Charlie. I want a body on Mac, too. I'll pay for it; can you just make it happen? He knows what she looks like and I can't take a chance with anything happening to her."

She walked in when he was saying the last bit to Charlie and walked over to him and into his arms. He held her while he finished talking to Charlie.

"I'm sorry, Kenz. I don't want you to be scared."

"I'm not worried about me," she said into his shoulder.

"You should be Mackenzie. I don't care how much he says he's changed or what image he projects to the world these days. He's an abusive bastard who enjoys causing other people pain. I don't want you anywhere near him," he whispered into her hair, holding her close.

"Maybe he has changed Will. He's in his seventies and you haven't seen him in years. Maybe he wants to make amends with you."

"Don't start this with me Mackenzie. Please don't try to broker some sort of peace deal between me and my father," he mumbled, pushing away from her and crossing the room to pour himself a scotch.

"Hey, I still hold out hope for Israel and Palestine. I'm an eternal optimist Will. Maybe you could just see what he wants to talk to you about? Or you could let me speak with him.…"

"No Mackenzie!" he shouted, startling her. "I told you I don't want you anywhere near him!" he slammed his glass to the counter, spilling half of his drink.

She jumped a little. "Okay, I'm sorry I suggested it. I'll stay away from him" she whispered, coming up behind him slowly. She had learned over the years that when he was upset, particularly if it related to his family, she needed to tread very carefully. She hadn't been lying when she'd told Jim she never feared Will or his temper. She did, however, fear that he might hurt her accidentally and never be able to forgive himself. It was one of the reasons it had taken her nearly a year to tell Will about her affair.

She carefully reached around him and took his glass and mopped up the spilled drink with a towel.

"I'm going to bed Will. Maybe when you've calmed down you'd like to join me," she said, patting his hand and padding down the hallway. She could hear him rattling around out there and knew he was just cooling off. Waiting until his anger had faded a bit and he could relax.

It felt odd being in this bed again, by herself, waiting for Will to join her. She tried to remember the last night she had spent here, but then quickly put it out of her mind. She had probably been lying awake, terrified to tell him the truth about Brian. Now, here she was again, lying awake waiting for Will to appear and soothe her fears.

She was nearly asleep when she felt the bed shift and Will's arms wrap around her waist and pull her to him.

"I'm sorry about earlier," he whispered.

"I know you are. You had every reason to be upset," she told him.

"Don't do that Mackenzie. Don't forgive me for hurting you. That's the same kind of shit my mother used to do."

"It's hardly the same thing Will. You have not, nor would you ever, abuse me."

"I still hurt your wrist didn't I? Doesn't matter whether I meant to or not," he answered glumly.

She turned in his arms and looked at his face, barely visible in a room lit only by the glow of the lights of New York City.

"You are not your father Will."

"Okay," he responded, with little enthusiasm.

"Hey, look at me," she said firmly, tilting his head up with her finger under his chin. "You are not that man and you never could be. Did you ever think that you probably became a lawyer so you wouldn't become him?" she asked.

"What?" he said, looking at her with confusion?

"You hate physical confrontation Will, you always have. But you love to argue. Being a litigator gave you free license to argue with people every day but with the near certainty that it could never become anything more than that."

He looked at her as if she had just put the missing piece of the puzzle into place for him. Oh Will, she thought, did you really not know this before?

"Billy, you still do it now. You argue with the staff, you argue with the guests….I think you'd argue with God himself if you could. It's why we've always gotten on so well. You know I enjoy it just as much as you do. I'm a worthy adversary and, better yet, our arguments are never violent or confrontational or mean-spirited. They are the exact opposite of everything you knew as a child."

She watched as his lip trembled and a tear rolled down his cheek.

"Oh Will, I thought you knew all this already. Hey, come here, it's okay" she whispered and rolled onto her back pulling his head down to rest on her chest. She could hear his deep, anguished sobs and felt his arms wrap around her like a vice.

"See, I told you that you could never be him. You've done everything in your power to make sure that you use your words to confront people, not your hands."

She heard his sobs quiet and felt his breathing even out. "Sleep Billy, we'll worry about the rest later, okay?" she said quietly.

"Thank you Mackenzie," he whispered around a yawn.

"You never have to thank me for being there for you Will," she told him and watched as he settled against her and began to drift to sleep.

"Love you Kenz," he whispered sleepily. She wasn't even sure he realized what he'd just said, but it still felt so damn good to hear it.

"I love you too Billy," she said quietly and rubbed her hand softly up and down along his back. She stared out at the lights of the city and wondered what tomorrow would bring and if they would be facing it together.


	2. Chapter 2

Mackenzie woke up alone and when she reached over to feel where he was sleeping the sheets were cool; he'd been up for a while. After using the bathroom she made her way to the kitchen hoping that there was coffee.

He smiled when he saw her. "Morning, Kenz."

She yawned, smiled, and sat down next to him. "Good morning. Please tell me there's coffee."

He got up and fixed her coffee exactly as she would have fixed it and brought it to her. "Thank you. You are a good man." He chuckled and squeezed her shoulder moving back to his chair.

"I talked to Lonny earlier. He will be here in a little while to introduce us to the new bodyguard."

"Okay. Do I have time for a shower?" she asked.

"You do. Are you hungry? You didn't eat anything last night."

She nodded.

"What would you like?" he asked sipping his coffee.

"Are there eggs?"

"Want an omelet?" he asked.

"Please. Are there vegetables?"

He got up and went to the refrigerator. "There are peppers, onions and mushrooms."

"All please. What kind of cheese?"

"Cheddar, mozzarella and gouda," he said, pushing things around in the refrigerator. "And goat."

"Goat and gouda please. May I help?"

"Sure." He pulled out a cutting board a knife and got all the vegetables from the refrigerator. "You okay to chop vegetables?"

"I can chop vegetables. Are you eating with me?"

"Yes," he said going back for the eggs and cheeses. He started preparing the eggs, adding some cream and some spices. He was watching her concentrating on chopping their vegetables and smiled. She did many, many things well, but vegetable chopping wasn't one of them.

"I know," she said and he smiled at her. She handed the knife over to him.

"Thank you," he said and quickly finished chopping the vegetables. He made their omelets with her standing by watching him cook.

He plated their breakfast and handed her her plate. "There's juice, if you want something other than coffee."

"I'm good with coffee, thanks."

They ate breakfast together and read the paper as if they did this on a daily basis. "Do you mind if I go take a shower?"

He looked up from the paper and said, "not at all. Do you need anything?"

"I don't think so. Thank you for breakfast."

"You're welcome. Leave those, I'll clean up."

She smiled at him and walked out of the kitchen with him watching her every move. He liked having her here with him.

When she'd finished with her shower she came back to the living room where Lonny was sitting with Will and another man.

They all stood up when she walked in. "Good morning," she said.

"Good morning," they all replied.

"Mac this is Jake," Will said coming to stand next to her. "He's your bodyguard. Jake this is Mackenzie McHale."

"It's nice to meet you, ma'am," Jake said.

"You, too." She was expecting someone like Lonny, but Jake was even bigger than Lonny. Good Lord, they were going to look like they were being followed by the defensive line from the Green Bay Packers.

"I took Jake by your apartment this morning, and we ran into Mr. McAvoy," Lonny explained. Mac reached for Will's hand. She hadn't really considered that he would be a threat to her but now she wasn't so sure. "I talked to your doorman and showed him the picture, he's going to keep an eye out. When we left Mr. McAvoy was still on the street outside your apartment."

"Ma'am, until we get your apartment secured are you able to stay here?" Jake asked.

"This place is already secured," Lonny added.

Mac looked at Will. "Mac will be staying here," Will said. "Can we arrange to go let her pack a few things?" he added.

"Will you both be going?" Lonny asked.

"Yes," Will replied.

"Okay, whenever you want to go, just give us a call and we'll take you over. We'll be downstairs if you need anything," Lonny said.

Will walked them to the elevator and saw them out. When he returned Mac was sitting on the couch, looking worried. He sat next to her and said, "are you all right?"

"I never thought he'd try to find my home. I'm not even listed Will. How did he find me?" she asked.

"He probably followed you home those first few days I didn't respond to him. He may have been a complete degenerate, but the man always was persistent. I'll give him that much," he said harshly.

"Are you sure we shouldn't just meet with him, on our terms Will. With security and at a location we choose. Maybe he would leave us alone then?"

"Absolutely not Mackenzie! I don't know who the hell he thinks he is, but he is not forcing my hand on this one. I am not a child anymore and I won't be bullied by him."

Will left to shower and change and she sat there wondering how all this would play out. Did Will even realize he probably got his stubborn, pig-headed nature from his father? They couldn't live like this forever, surrounded by security and looking over their shoulders. Wouldn't it be easier to agree to one short meeting with the man and then put it behind them?

She knew better than to bring it up with him again, but as she wandered through the weekend, surrounded by security, the idea kept rolling around in her head.

"So what's the deal Mackenzie? Did you just join the line of succession to the British throne or something?" Sloan asked, pushing her way into Mackenzie's office on Monday morning.

Oh Jesus, while she and Will had been quietly holed up in his apartment all weekend, watching old movies and reading The New York Times trying to pretend they hadn't suddenly become hostages to the whims of Will's father, she had forgotten all about what their expanded security entourage would look like when they reappeared at the office.

"Yes Sloan, I secretly married Prince Harry over the weekend and am carrying the future king of England," she said, watching as Sloan took a seat in her office. The economist just stared at her waiting for information.

"What do you want from me Sloan?"

"The truth. And why is Will so fucking uptight today? I mean, not that he isn't usually uptight but the man is walking around here looking like he might stroke out at any moment."

"There's a new threat. Just let AWM and our security handle it, okay Sloan?" she pleaded.

"The threat is against you this time?" Sloan asked, seemingly unwilling to let this go.

"Not directly, no."

"Mackenzie, you're hedging."

"Sloan, you're sticking your nose in where it doesn't belong."

"I know, but I'm so very good at it," Sloan replied, settling back in her chair and looking for all the world like she would not be leaving the office until she got an answer.

"Do you have training in interrogation techniques Sloan? Because I swear I feel like I'm being water-boarded right now," Mackenzie whined.

"Spill it Kenz."

"Will's father showed up. Without going into details that Will would rather I not share, just know that his childhood was like something out of a Dickens novel and leave it at that Sloan. He doesn't want to talk to the man, but his father isn't taking no for an answer."

"That still doesn't explain why you now have a bodyguard Mackenzie," Sloan pushed, crossing her arms and waiting for an answer.

"Apparently, John McAvoy has been hanging around for a while now, watching Will and waiting for the right opportunity to approach him. He's taken note of the fact that I seem to be with Will quite a bit, and if he can't get to his son directly he's intent on contacting him through me."

"Has he threatened you?" Sloan asked, concerned.

"Not directly, no."

"Mackenzie!" Sloan shouted.

"Sloan, I've already told you more than Will would probably want me to. Let it go, okay?" Mackenzie pleaded.

"Are you okay?" Sloan asked her.

"Yeah, I am. I'm not worried about me, I'm worried about Will."

"I know that Mackenzie. You are always more worried about him than you are about yourself. That's why I am asking."

"You're a good friend Sloan. Thank you. But Will and I are handling it."

"You know, they say stressful situations bring people together."

"Jesus Christ Sloan, you could turn an armed uprising into a romantic get-together for Will and me. We're working on it, all right?" Mackenzie replied wearily.

"Just remember to name your firstborn after me," Sloan shot back as she departed Mackenzie's office.

Will was her next visitor. "Did you make it through your interrogation by Sloan?" he asked from her doorway.

"Talk about a dog with a bone."

He smiled at her. "You okay?"

"I am. Are you ready to go upstairs?"

"Charlie asked us to push the meeting fifteen minutes."

She checked her calendar and then said, "no problem. I don't have anything else before pitch."

Will pulled her door closed behind him and sat in her guest chair. "I'm sorry you've gotten caught up in my situation."

She came around her desk and rested against the front, next to him. She took his hand and said, "If something affects you, it affects me. Could I live without all the fanfare, certainly I could. But if this keeps us safe, there isn't even a question of having the protection."

"I liked spending the weekend with you, Kenz."

She smiled at him. "I enjoyed it, too."

They chatted for a few more minutes and made their way up to Charlie's office. He was on a conference call when they knocked. He motioned them in while he finished up the call.

"Sorry about that," Charlie said. "You guys doing all right?"

Mac nodded and Will said, "we're fine." Charlie made note that Will was speaking for Mac and she was letting him.

"I wanted to talk to you both about John McAvoy."

"Has something happened?" Will asked.

"Security knows to keep him out of the building and your bodyguards are keeping him away from the both of you, but we have no control of who else he's talking to."

"What's happened, Charlie?" Will asked.

"There's a video of the confrontation from Friday night. As I understand it the person who took the video is looking for a payday."

"Fuck," Will said getting out of his chair and pacing the length of Charlie's office.

"There's more," he said.

"What else, Charlie," Mac asked.

He handed both of them a background report on John McAvoy. They each read the executive briefing on the front and skimmed the rest until they could get downstairs and read the report in detail, together.

"How is he working with people, getting them into rehab, with a criminal record?" Mac asked.

"He did his time," Charlie answered, "and think about the line of work he is in…these are people that want to give people like him multiple chances, even though he's proven in the past to be violent and fairly unreliable."

"Who has the video and who are they shopping it to?" Will asked.

"I don't know the name but any offer is to be worked out through a law firm and I hear that the gossip rags and tabloids are both interested."

"How much?" Mac asked.

"Low six figures for the tape and an interview," Charlie replied.

"Charlie," she said.

"I know, Mac. I hear you, but we can't do anything about this one, the video was taken on a public street. I want the two of you to be extra careful; anywhere you go your bodyguards are with you. Do you both hear what I'm saying?"

They both agreed and left Charlie's office.

The rest of the morning went normally. They had the pitch meeting and talked about the stories they were thinking about for tonight's broadcast. Afterwards Mac and Will were sitting in the conference room going over the background that Lonny had gotten for them.

Mac was highlighting and writing questions. Will was circling words and making notes in the margins. At least now they had something to go on.

The growling of Mac's stomach alerted them to the time. "Hungry," he asked smiling at her.

"I am. I'm going to go to the deli on the corner, do you want anything?"

"I'll buy if you'll go pick it up, with Jake."

"You've nothing to worry about there, Jake is coming along. What do you want, a turkey sandwich?"

He was a creature of habit. He liked turkey sandwiches, there wasn't anything wrong with that, he justified to himself. "Please."

"I'll be back in a few minutes," she said taking some cash from him.

Mac met Jake by the elevator and he walked her to the deli and stood by while she ordered. She wasn't sure what had happened, but all she knew was that she was on the floor and Jake was on top of her and her head was bleeding. Jake called for an ambulance and was sitting next to her when he saw her pass out.

Jake called Lonny and explained what had happened. Lonny walked into Will's office and said, "Mac's been hurt, she's unconscious and is being taken to the emergency room, that's all I know."


	3. Chapter 3

Will paced frantically in the waiting room of St. Vincent's emergency room. He swore his father would pay dearly if he had had anything to do with this. Where the hell was a doctor or a nurse or someone who could tell him what the hell had happened to Mackenzie?

He felt Lonny grab him by the shoulder and turn him toward a smaller room off to the side of the main waiting area. He looked between the bodyguard and Charlie questioningly.

"Will, your pacing alone was attracting attention...not to mention the fact that several people had already recognized you. I think the hospital and your security detail would prefer if you waited in here," Charlie explained, guiding him to a chair in the corner of the small room. He really didn't care what the hell the hospital or Lonny preferred. He just wanted someone to come in here and tell him something. Just then, a man who looked far too young to be drinking alcohol, let alone to be a doctor, walked into the room.

"Are you all here for Ms. McHale?" he asked.

"What happened?" Will asked, jumping up from the chair.

"Low blood pressure," the doctor responded.

"That's it. Nobody hurt her? She didn't have an accident?" Will demanded.

"No was there some reason to believe she had been attacked?" the doctor asked.

"Yes...no. Look, it's not important right now. Just tell us what happened to her." Will asked desperately.

"Well, Ms. McHale is a bit underweight and slightly dehydrated. Her blood pressure was too low and she passed out. Unfortunately for her, she hit her head on a marble countertop as she went down. She was unconscious for about ten to fifteen minutes so we did a CT scan just to make sure she suffered no serious damage or swelling in the brain. We didn't see any signs of that though, so she should be just fine. She has a nice lump on the back of her head and a few stitches, but other than that she's ready to go home."

"That's it?" Will asked, not sure he was quite ready to take the word of a man who looked like he should still be in college.

"I've given her a prescription to help with the blood pressure and a recommendation that she gain a few pounds. Take her home, get her something to eat and let her rest. That's really all she needs."

Will practically fell into the chair behind him and dropped his head into his hands. God, he needed a drink. No, what he needed was a secluded private island where he and Mackenzie could relax and not worry about breaking news or paparazzi or his fucking father. He really needed to look into that.

"Go back to the office Charlie. Tell Elliot he's taking over for tonight. This is fucking ridiculous. I can't spend the rest of my life wondering if my father is stalking me or Mackenzie or waiting for the other shoe to drop."

"Will, don't make any decisions right now, okay? Go home, get Mackenzie settled and get some sleep. We'll worry about the rest later" Charlie told him before heading back to AWM.

"Mr. McAvoy, if you'll come with me, I'll take you back to Ms. McHale," a nurse said standing in a doorway leading back to the treatment area.

"Thanks," he said getting up before disappearing with the nurse.

She led him down a hallway and showed him where Mac was waiting. He pulled the curtain aside and saw her lying on the bed, her eyes closed. He stood next to her and moved her bangs off of her face. Her eyes opened when she felt his touch.

"Billy," she said when she saw him.

He sat on the side of her bed and leaned down and hugged her and sat back. "How are you feeling?"

"Head hurts."

He took her hand and said, "I bet. You hit a marble counter and passed out. Do you remember anything?"

"I remember Jake on the floor with me, but everything else is blurry."

"Did your doctor tell you about your blood pressure being too low?" Will kept touching her, stroking her hands and her face. He couldn't keep himself from touching her.

She nodded. "Plus I need to gain some weight."

"Good thing I can cook," he teased.

She saw how worried he still looked and she had heard some of the staff members talking about him and how he was acting in the waiting area. She touched his cheek and said, "I'm sorry I worried you."

He nodded, not able to speak. She sat up and pulled him to her and held him.

"I was so scared, Kenz," he said next to her ear. "I didn't know if my father was involved, or what had happened."

"Ms. McHale," the doctor said pulling the curtain back. "Ready to go home? I'm sorry," he said when he saw Will.

Will pulled back and said, "it's okay. Is she free to go?"

"Yes. Here's your prescription," the doctor said handing the paper to her.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome. I want you to take it easy for a couple of days and let someone help you, okay?"

She nodded and said, "okay."

Will helped her off the bed and called Lonny and Jake in the waiting room to bring the SUV around.

"You ready to go home?"

"I am."

Will kept her close to him with his arm around her and helped her to the SUV and inside the truck. Once they were sitting on the back seat he pulled her against him. "Just rest," he whispered. They didn't speak any more until they made it to Will's apartment. "Let's get you upstairs, okay."

Mac nodded. All she wanted to do was climb into bed with Will.

Lonny walked them inside and to the elevator. "If you need anything, just call," he told them.

Mac was quiet on the ride upstairs. "Do you want to go to the couch or the bed?" Will asked.

"Bed." The afternoon had wiped her out. Will helped her into the bedroom and she changed into her pajamas. He pulled the covers back and helped her into the bed. "Will you stay?" she asked quietly.

"Of course. Let me change and I'll be right back," he said and kissed her head. He quickly changed and walked to the bed, pulling the covers back and got in. She was lying there watching him.

He opened his arms and she moved to lie on his chest. He was stroking her hair, making sure to stay away from the lump. "I love you, Kenz."

She raised her head and looked up at him. "I love you, Billy. I'm sorry I scared you, today."

"Are you okay to talk some, Kenz?"

"Yes," she said sitting up next to him and taking his hand in hers.

"I didn't know what had happened today. I didn't know if my father had something to do with your injury or what he might have done. I'm tired of waiting for the other shoe to drop."

"What do you want to do, Billy?"

"I want to arrange for a meeting, our terms. It may not make him go away but at least it will give us new information as to why he's shown up now."

"This has to be your decision Will. Not something you do because you are upset right now or you want to protect me," she said quietly.

"I won't pretend that doesn't have a lot to do with it Mac, but I guess I need to know too. The man always seemed to hate his own children and now he can't leave me alone? My curiosity is piqued," he told her.

"That always was a good way to get to you. Dangle a good mystery in front of your eyes and you were off and running," she laughed and then thought better of it and brought her hand to her head. "Ouch, note to self…laughing hurts."

"Go to sleep Mac, we'll worry about the rest in the morning," he told her and pulled her head back down against his chest and watched as, within moments, she fell sound asleep.

Maybe it was the fact that he was alone in bed, but something woke him early the next morning. He looked around for signs of Mackenzie.

"Mac?" he shouted.

"Out here," he heard her call and he followed the sound to the hallway where she was sitting leaned up against the linen closet door.

"What happened?" he asked, crouching down by her side.

"I was thirsty. Got up to get some juice and got light-headed. Thought I better sit before I fell," she told him.

"Mackenzie, why didn't you wake me?" he asked, exasperated with her but also concerned that she had nearly fainted again.

"I'm not a child Will. Surely I can get a glass of juice on my own," she pouted. Good Lord, this woman really was going to be the death of him. If he wasn't worried about his own damn father attacking her then he had to worry about whether she took her meds and listened to the fucking medical professionals who had told her to rest.

"Could you just try to follow doctor's order for a day or two Mackenzie? There are a lot of hard surfaces in this place. Let's not try to see how many things you can smack your head into okay?" he asked. She already had a large bruise forming that extended from the back of her head and all the way along the side of her neck. Jesus, how big was the freaking countertop, he wondered?

"You were supposed to take one of those pills before you got out of bed Mac," he reminded her and eased her onto the sofa.

"I forgot," she said softly.

He went to the bedroom in search of the pills he had placed on the nightstand for her.

"They were next to your side of the bed for a reason Mackenzie," he grumbled as he passed by her to grab a glass of juice from the kitchen. He returned and handed her the pills and the juice.

"Are you angry with me?" she asked, watching him warily.

"Not angry, frustrated Mackenzie."

"Why?"

"You've had this problem for years and you still haven't done anything about it!" he nearly shouted. She had fainted two or three times in the first few months they were together until he realized that she rarely ate anything after two in the afternoon. They wouldn't get to bed until midnight and she would wake the next morning not having eaten in more than fifteen hours. He started leaving protein bars and small squares of chocolate in her desk to try and tempt her. It had worked for a while…and then they had broken up.

She swallowed the pills and set the juice glass down on the coffee table in front of her.

"I'm sorry. I've been a little busy. Besides, doctors always say the same thing…gain some weight. Well, I can't. You know that Billy. My stomach's always been sensitive. I eat the slightest bit too much or the wrong thing and the meal makes a reappearance later. Then that puts me off food for days."

"I know Mac. I'm sorry. Just try to be better about regular meals okay? They have also told you how important it is to stay hydrated and you're never very good about that either. Surely you can find a way to drink a bit more water and juice during the day?" he pleaded.

Didn't she know how much he needed her? This kind of blatant disregard for her health and well-being had always scared the crap out of him. Sometimes it amazed him that she had come back from the Middle East at all. Despite how angry he had been with her, part of him had wanted to fly over there himself and drag her back. Didn't CNN know how amazingly stupid she could be when she got onto the scent of a story? The woman would walk into hell itself and spit in the devil's face if there was the off chance that it could provide her with an unimpeachable source.

"Did this have anything to do with my father Mackenzie?" he asked, not quite sure he wanted the answer.

"No, of course not Will. You heard what the doctor said. My blood pressure was low and I fainted. Your father didn't hurt me," she told him, crawling over toward the other end of the sofa, where he had taken a seat.

"No, not like that. I know he didn't actually hurt you. I just mean…were you more concerned with me and what my father's reappearance was doing to me than you were with your own well-being?"

Damn, she forgot how good he was at seeing right through her. Looking back, she was amazed he hadn't figured out she slept with Brian that very first night. She was sure she must have had guilty written all over her face.

"I don't know Will. I'm sure I was quite focused on that situation, but that's not to say it wouldn't have happened anyway." She was fairly certain she was telling him the truth.

"Can I start leaving chocolates in your desk again and hovering over you at meal times?" he asked, refusing to look her in the eye.

Oh, God…he was actually afraid to ask her if maybe, just maybe, they were back together again. He had to couch it in terms of shared meals and overprotective tendencies. Didn't he know she had been waiting for him to take that first step for months now? They had spent the last week together studiously avoiding the topic of whatever the hell it was that was happening to their relationship. She crawled into his lap and rested her head on his shoulder.

"I don't know…can I start picking out your ties and nagging you about quitting smoking again?" she asked, kissing his jaw and then his cheek. She rested her head against his and waited for him to answer.

"Kenz?" he asked uncertainly.

"Yeah?"

"Can we go back to bed now?"

"I don't know…do you think the doctor would approve of vigorous physical activity?" she asked teasingly.

"Who said anything about vigorous activity? You can just lay there and let me worship you," he told her, picking her up and carrying her back to the bedroom.

Later that afternoon, as Will watched Mackenzie finish lunch in bed wearing nothing but his discarded dress shirt he thought maybe, for once in his life, he didn't hate his father after all. Not if Mackenzie ended up back in his bed and back in his life because of him.

"Kenz," he said.

She turned and faced him. "What's going on in your head?"

"What do you think about me getting Charlie to call my father and arrange for a meeting?"

"I think that's a good idea. At least we'll know why he's shown up all of a sudden. Let's face it; it's not hard to know where you are every night."

"We need a place to meet."

"I'm sure there is conference room at AWM we could use. Who do you want to be there?"

He thought about what was going to be said, or at least what possibly could be said. "You, Charlie, me and my father. Charlie doesn't know everything but he's always been more of a father than John McAvoy could ever think of being."

"We have to have security, they don't have to be in the room, but at least outside. We can't do this without them. We don't know what he wants and if it turns out we need them, they need to be able to be in the room immediately."

He nodded, knowing she was right.

"Why don't you lie down and rest a bit," he said taking her hand and kissing her palm. "I'm going to call Charlie and ask him if he'll do this for me."

"For us," she corrected.

She hadn't seen the smile he was giving her in a very long time. "I love you, Billy."

"I love you, too, Kenz," he said, leaning over to kiss her. "I'll be in the living room. Please let me know if you need anything, okay?"

"Promise," she said scooting down in the bed.

Will dialed Charlie's office and Millie put him through straight away.

"Everything all right?" he asked.

"Mac's resting and doing better."

"How are you?"

He smiled at how well Charlie knew him. "I need your help."

"What can I do?" he asked. Charlie's answer reinforced what he knew; Charlie was more of a father than John ever would be.

"I need to meet with my father and I'd like you to be there with Mac and me. Security will be there, but outside. Is there a conference room we could use?"

"I'll arrange for a conference room and I'm happy to be there with you Will, anything you need."

"Thank you. You have no idea how much that means to me."

"Do you want me to call John?"

"Please."

"If we can arrange the meeting for this afternoon, do you want to move forward, or do you need the day to prepare?"

Will didn't answer him immediately.

"Will, this is going to be hard, we both know that. You need to be in control of the situation. Is it better to get it over with or let it rest for another day?"

"Charlie, I honestly don't know. I just need this over with."

"Son, you are going to be the one in control and both Mac and I will have your back."

"Let's do it as soon as possible."

"I'll call you as soon as I have things arranged."

"Thank you."

Will went back into the bedroom and watched Mackenzie sleep from a chair. He had no idea why his father wanted to meet with him but it was time he found out.

Mac turned over and opened her eyes and smiled at him. "You okay?"

He nodded. "Is Charlie making the arrangements?"

"He is. We may meet with John later today…it just depends on what Charlie can arrange."

"Come lay down with me, please."

Will was immediately on his feet and climbing into bed, curling himself around her. She turned onto her back and he was resting on her chest. "Are you all right?"

"I'm scared." She ran her fingers through his hair trying to sooth him.

"He can't hurt you, I won't let him and neither will Charlie, let alone Lonny and Jake."

"He's already taking up too much time."

"At least we'll know what we're dealing with after we meet with him."

The phone interrupted their conversation. From the caller identification it was Charlie, or at least his office.

Will hit the speakerphone button to answer.

"This afternoon at four in the conference room by my office. Lonny and Jake know they are bringing the two of you in and that we are all meeting with John. That's all they know."

"Thanks, Charlie. We'll see you in a little while," he said and disconnected the call.

"I need to take a shower," Mac said.

"The heat from the shower could make you dizzy. I'll have to shower with you," he managed to say with a straight face.

She sat up and by the time they had finished their shower and got dressed it was about thirty minutes until their meeting. Lonny had been called and would be arriving any time to pick them up, along with Jake.

The ride to AWM was quiet. Will and Mac held hands for the ride. Will helped her out of the SUV and together they walked into the building and took the elevator straight to Charlie's office.

"Feeling better Mackenzie?" Charlie asked as the two entered his office.

"Much…thank you for your help with all this Charlie," she told him. She nudged Will in the side, encouraging him to speak.

"Yes Charlie, thank you. Where is he?" Will asked, nervously grasping onto Mackenzie's coat, which he had helped her shed.

"He's in the conference room at the end of the hallway. It's a bit more out of the way…less likely to be any passersby looking in on you," Charlie reassured him.

"Will?" Mackenzie asked, as he continued to stand rooted to the spot. "We don't have to do this if you don't want to," she reassured him.

"No, let's get this over with. He's not taking up any more of my time or energy," he said, and determinedly grabbed her hand and marched down the hallway. Charlie followed.

"Hello Will," the older gentleman greeted him as if they were long lost friends and not an estranged father and son.

"What do you want?" Will asked the man, guiding Mackenzie to a chair and standing behind her.

"I didn't know I was speaking with your wife when we met the other day. You work together as well?" John McAvoy asked his son.

"I'm not…" Mackenzie started to answer but was cut off by Will.

"Please don't pretend to give a shit about my life now. I asked you what you wanted?" Will interrupted, gripping Mackenzie's shoulders as if to steady himself.

She reached up and patted his hand to calm him.

"You always were short on patience William. I see some things haven't changed," the man remarked, taking a seat on the other side of the table.

"You've done well for yourself William. High profile job, beautiful wife and security detail to keep your father at a distance, it's all very impressive."

"I don't really give a shit whether you're impressed or not. My life has nothing to do with you anymore," Will spit out.

"It may have more to do with me than you'd like to think."

"Mr. McAvoy, your son is a very busy man. Quite frankly, we're all very busy. Perhaps you could get to the point?" Charlie asked from his seat at the end of the table. Will nodded at him gratefully.

"I guess we won't be having drinks and exchanging photos of the grandchildren?" Will's father asked sarcastically.

"Cut the crap, okay? I'm easy to Google so I'm sure you already know I don't have children. I also thought I didn't have a father until a few days ago. I assumed you drank yourself to death by the time I graduated college. I guess I was wrong," Will said all this while pacing back and forth behind Mackenzie. She reached out and grabbed his arm to still him, then pulled him down into the seat next to her.

"She's very protective of you. British too, if I didn't mistake the accent? Your grandmother would have liked that. She was from Scotland you know?" John McAvoy nodded toward Mackenzie.

"Mr. McAvoy, I've never been a terribly patient woman at the best of times. If you think we're all going to go grab a bite to eat and raise a pint to years past you are sadly mistaken. I'm trying to rein in your son here, but believe me when I say a big part of me would like to see him take a swing at you. I suggest you get to the point before I stop trying to control his temper," Mackenzie warned. Will smiled at her.

"Well, I guess there will be no happy family reunions here. Your brother died two weeks ago on the operating table. They were trying to repair a ruptured aortic aneurysm. I successfully had the same operation fifteen years ago. Robert's doctor told us the condition tends to run in families, particularly between fathers and sons. I thought you should know," John told them.

"Robert?" Will asked, shocked that he had a brother he didn't know about, and now would never meet.

"I remarried about five years after your mother and I split. Robert and Annie were born not long after…twins," he told them.

"Will?" Mackenzie asked, grabbing his hand.

"I'll talk to my doctor. Thank you for the information." He reached into his wallet for Charlie's business card. "Please give my sister this if she would like to contact me. I would prefer that you never try to contact either Mackenzie or myself ever again," he told the man and stood to leave the room.

"Will?" the older man called out to his son before he could leave the room.

"What?" Will snapped.

"I'm sorry. For everything…I'm very sorry."

"You're about forty years too late on that one" Will responded and tugged Mackenzie from the room.

He led them back down to Charlie's office and watched as Lonny escorted John McAvoy out of the building.

Charlie came to stand in front of Will and asked, "are you all right?"

Will nodded. "I'm proud of you, I'm sure that was very hard," Charlie said.

"Thanks."

Mac was rubbing his back and honestly that was about all that was keeping him grounded at the moment.

"Let's give him a few minutes to get out of the building and we'll go home, all right?" Mac asked.

"Sure."

"I've got to go to a meeting," Charlie said. "Stay here as long as you want." Charlie hugged Will and said, "you're a good man," and left the room for his meeting.

Will turned to Mac and pulled her into his arms.

"I'm glad you decided to see what he wanted. You need to call your doctor when we get home."

He nodded against her shoulder. She held him there, stroking his back for a few minutes to hopefully give John time to leave. She saw Lonny outside the office and said, "Lonny's back."

He eased himself back and she saw the tears on his cheek. With her thumbs she wiped away the tears. It had been an emotion filled day and they needed some time to take it all in and decompress. "Ready to go home?"

He took her hand and walked out of Charlie's office. Lonny and Jake drove them back to the apartment. "We're in for the night," Will explained to the bodyguards.

Will collapsed on the couch, pulling Mac down beside him. "How's your head?"

"I could use some Tylenol."

He got up and got her some water and Tylenol. "Take these, please," he said handing her the pills and a glass of water. She handed the glass back to him after she'd finished. "Why don't you go lay down for a bit? I'm going to call my doctor and schedule an appointment and then I'll join you."

She hugged him and walked back to the bedroom.

Will called his doctor and explained what he had found out about the aortic aneurism. His doctor told him he wanted to see him tomorrow and that he would work Will into the schedule.

When he walked into the bedroom he saw Mac lying on her side in one of his dress shirts, with her eyes closed.

"I'm not asleep," she said.

"How'd you know I'm in here?"

"Smelled you," she said, not opening her eyes.

He sniffed and didn't smell anything.

"Change and come lie down with me."

He pulled off all his clothes except his boxers and got into bed. "You smelled me?"

She opened her eyes and smiled at him. "Yes, the scent that's uniquely you and probably some aftershave," she said kissing his neck.

"Nice," he moaned.

She lifted herself up and onto him, kissing her way around his neck to his mouth. They lay there reveling in being this close to each other again…in just being with one another. She settled on his chest and he was gently rubbing her back. "Thank you for today," he said quietly.

"I'm glad we met with him. Did you get an appointment?"

"Tomorrow, my doctor is working me in. He wanted to check things out as soon as possible."

"Good."

"Kenz…."

She lifted her head so she could look at him, "yes."

"I love you. I don't know how I would have done this without you."

"Billy," she said and kissed him. "I love you, so much."

A few months later Charlie informed them that Annie had contacted him and would like to speak with Will. He could feel Mackenzie hovering over him, worried that this meeting would dredge up bad memories or, worse yet, that this woman wanted something more than a friendly get together.

"We'll have lunch and see what she wants Will. I get the first hint that she's out for money or a tabloid story and she will never so much as speak with you again," Mackenzie ground out through clenched teeth…her over-protective nature out in full force. He loved her for it all the more.

Mackenzie's relationship with her family was so loving and peaceful she had never really been prepared for the cold, distant relationship Will had with most of his relatives. Growing up in an abusive home tended to do that…it was sometimes hard for him to be around his siblings. They loved each other, but it brought up memories best left buried.

He really hadn't been expecting much from the meeting with his newly discovered half sister. He assumed she was curious about this big brother she had never met and the added aspect of his celebrity probably deepened that curiosity. He and Mackenzie sat in the back of Carnegie Deli, waiting and watching…searching the crowd for familiar features in every unknown face.

"Why are we even trying to look for her Will? Surely she'll recognize you?" Mackenzie asked him, rubbing her fingers back and forth over his hand.

"I don't know. We're both nervous I guess and could you stop doing that Mackenzie? Your ring is rubbing my hand raw" he asked, pulling away from her grip.

"Sorry" she murmured, clasping her hands together in front of her and fiddling with her engagement ring nervously. It was a newly developed habit. In the last month that they had been engaged she stopped her old nail biting fetish and took up twisting her ring around her finger when she was nervous. On any other day he found it endearing…today he was a bit on edge. And damn, that rock really had worn his hand raw.

"No, I'm sorry Mackenzie. I shouldn't have snapped…I just wish I knew what she expected out of this. A brother? A friend? A meal ticket? I'm just wondering what the hell we do next?" he asked.

But he need not have worried. Annie came bustling into the restaurant, all furious hand movements and curly red hair, talking a mile a minute about how she had no clue how people lived in this city. She'd only been in town for a day and she was tired of it already. She immediately gathered both Will and Mackenzie up in a hug and started talking about her family and her job and life back in Wisconsin and how they should all get together for her daughter's tenth birthday party next summer.

Annie was like a breath of fresh air in their lives. Nothing was ever complicated or difficult with her. She was positive and straightforward and full of life. Everyone had taken to her within minutes. In fact, in the months to come, Annie brought everyone together. Will's siblings were all eager to meet with her and Will and Mac's wedding that spring turned into more of a family reunion than any sort of formal ceremony.

Annie's rapid-fire speech and gregarious nature tired even Sloan at times. "How much coffee has that woman had?" Sloan wondered aloud as she and Mac sipped champagne on the balcony of the house they had rented for the wedding out in Montauk.

"That is Annie on decaf. You don't want to be around if she's been to Starbuck's. It's truly frightening Sloan," Mac laughed. They looked out at the photographer trying to wrangle everyone together on the lawn for a group photo.

"Don't you think we should get down there?" Sloan asked. "You are the bride after all."

"Annie will get everyone together. Trust me, you don't want to be down there for that. The woman should have been in the military," Mackenzie laughed as she watched her new sister-in-law take over the photography session.

"Mackenzie McAvoy, get your ass down here!" they heard Will bellow from amongst the crowd of family and friends.

She rolled her eyes at that. "We discussed this already. I'm hyphenating," she shouted back at him.

"That's quite a mouthful, but whatever you say dear," he agreed. "Now, could you _please_ get your ass down here before half these people are too drunk to stand up for this photo?"

Mackenzie and Sloan joined the crowd on the lawn. Will grabbed her around the waist and planted a kiss on her cheek just as the photographer snapped the photo.

Surrounded by a rag-tag group of journalists, lawyers, politicians, siblings, and one half-sibling to round out the get together, Will and Mackenzie marveled at the family they had built up around themselves.

No, John McAvoy hadn't exactly been a welcome intrusion into their lives, but maybe he had finally put the last few pieces of the puzzle together for them. Will kissed his sisters and then his wife and sat back to watch Sloan and Annie argue about where to cut the cake.

"Why are you over here by yourself?" Mackenzie asked, wandering over to his seat and plopping down in his lap.

"Watching everyone," he told her.

"You're ready to leave aren't you?" she asked, surprised he had lasted this long. His anti-social nature was improving. You couldn't spend long around Annie and maintain any sort of Grinch-like exterior. But even this new and improved Will McAvoy had his limits.

"Yes I am, but that's only because you've been walking around in this strapless number for the last few hours. Can we go to our hotel now?" he asked pulling her close.

"Sure, just let me tell everyone," she told him.

"Oh no you don't. They'll figure it out. If you tell them all we're leaving there will be a two hour long good-bye session. We're going to see all of them tomorrow at breakfast. Now get in the damn car," he whispered, pushing her up.

"Congratulations you two," he heard Annie say quietly just a few feet away, as she watched them go.

He waved to her where she was standing next to Charlie and pulled his wife out to the car.

"Happy?" she asked him.

"More than you know Kenz. More than you know."

The End


End file.
